A Change Of Scenery

A/N: All of your reivews are so sweet. I really appreciate them! xx

Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry Potter, not me. I'm making no money from this story.

Chapter 7

"So, you must be Miss Granger, a pleasure to meet you," the larger man said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

Blushing, Hermione gave him a smile. "It is very nice to meet you as well, Lord Krum."

"No need for that formal stuff! Call me Anton," he said, flashing her a smile.

"All right," she said a bit nervously.

"Oh, Hermione! What an honor to finally meet the girl our darling Viktor is always talking about," the older woman gushed.

Blushing, Hermione sent Viktor a look. His face turned pink in embarrassment.

"You may call me Teodora, darling." She kissed Hermione on both cheeks.

"It's wonderful to meet you both," she said sincerely, looking at both of Viktor's parents. Viktor was a spitting image of his father. They were both large, stocky men with small beady eyes. His mother was more striking, with blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. Anton and Teodora made a very charming couple.

"Vell, vhy don't we move into the dining room for dinner, yes?" Anton asked, looking around the room. Taking Teodora's arm, he escorted her along.

Viktor appeared at Hermione's side, walking beside her. "You told your parents about me?" she hissed under her breath.

"Of course I did," he replied. "They wanted to know vhat girl had clearly stolen my heart to make me mope about like I did once I returned."

Hermione stopped, turning to face him. "That was so long ago."

"Nothing has changed," he replied quickly. "You, my sweet Ninny, have long remained the object of my affections."

She blushed before giving him a quick kiss.

"Come, ve don't vant Mama and Papa vorrying about vhere ve ran off too," Viktor said with a chuckle, pulling her towards the dining room.

Dinner was a lively affair, both Anton and Teodora supplying lots of conversation. Hermione talked a bit about England and life there. When Anton asked about the war, she had wanted to decline. She didn't like speaking about it.

But Viktor gave her hand a firm squeeze and a reassuring smile, so she found her strength. She told the Krum family about the war and her year on the run. She glazed over what had happened at Malfoy Manor, but Viktor wasn't fooled. He knew she had been tortured. By the end, Anton was pale faced and Teodora was sobbing.

"I didn't mean to upset either of you," she whispered, suddenly embarrassed.

"Oh, sweet child!" Teodora cried out, standing from her seat and moving to the other side of the table so she could hug Hermione tightly. "To have gone through so much at such a young age… you poor, poor girl."

Hermione hugged her back, thankful to have the physical contact.

"Hermione, you are an incredibly strong voman," Anton said, looking at her with respect in his eyes. He raised his glass to her.

Blushing, she raised her glass back before having a sip.

"I'm sorry if my parents upset you," Viktor said later on, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She shook her head. "No, it was good to talk about it. I haven't spoken about it for a while… it was good to get it off my chest."

Viktor kissed her gently. "Mama and Papa adore you, Nin."

She laughed. "They were very charming. So unlike the Pureblood families in England."

"Vell, the political climate is different here in Bulgaria," he explained. "Although, it is contradicting vhen you look at Durmstrang."

She nodded in understanding. "Your parents are just good people. I can see where you get it from," she said teasingly.

"Come here, vitch," he murmured lovingly. Taking her into his arms, he kissed her passionately.